Centennial college is Toronto's No. 1 community college. It offers lots of full time and part time programs including diploma, degree programs & also offers co-operative programs. Students of Co-operative programs can gain practical field experience with their college studies.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

“The program is a great master plan for those who want to pursue a career in this industry,” says Severo Vitorio Pastor who attended Centennial College’s kitchen management courses. “Each subject truly equips us with the knowledge, skills and experiences that we need to become successful in our field.” This positive insight gives a great overall view of the hospitality program officially known as Hospitality Operations – Kitchen Management. That’s because Pastor touches on the three aspects that set the offering apart from others of its nature: knowledge, skills and experience. Let’s take a further look into all three.

First and foremost, applicants to these kitchen management courses are required to have completed at minimum an Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent or be 19 years of age or older. Students must also have attended the compulsory English 12C or U or skills assessment or equivalent. It should be noted that possession of minimum admission requirements does not guarantee admission to the hospitality program.

The hospitality program is structured in a way that ensures students learn a range of skill sets that prepares them for a challenging and rewarding career in food operations management. Among the topics covered in the kitchen management courses are: business practices in accounting, human resources and supervision, sanitation, hygiene and safety as well as quantity food preparation, practical supervision of food production, customer service, human resources and career planning, hospitality accounting, practical math, purchasing for the commercial kitchen and many others.

While theory is an important aspect of this hospitality program in Canada so is hands-on experience that allows students to become fully comfortable with duties they will perform in the field. As such, the program makes use of the campus on which it is located. Progress Campus boasts an on-campus living lab-restaurant called Horizons. Here, once a week, students run the kitchen and interact with real diners and customers. They are graded on how well they do in this role.

As a final “real world” experience, the hospitality program students are sent out on a field placement that enables them to better understand the dynamics of the industry, increases their knowledge of industry practices and provides a competitive advantage of experience in the job market.

Upon completion of the kitchen management courses — which result in an Ontario College Certificate, and the Smart Serve Program and the National Sanitation Training certificates — students who are interested in further education are able to enter the second year of Centennial College’s two-year Food and Beverage Management program. Those who wish to enter field may also do so in the position of food operations manager, which entails planning work programs, staffing for cash food service, interviewing and hiring employees, training employees, reviewing inventory, requesting and purchasing food supplies, planning menus and price points, supervising operations, observing quality of service and more.